ALISON MOYET @ MAILONLINE INTERVIEW

Ayer, una nueva entrevista de Alison Moyet en MailOnLine para conocerla un poco mejor. Aquí en inglés.

Yesterday another interview with Alison Moyet on MailOnLine to get to know a bit better. Here it is below.

[Rachel Corcoran]

What is your earliest memory?

I was at a child minder’s when I was about two. I was sitting on  the floor alone in her empty living room and on the wall she had a moulded plate of a watermill scene. I remember thinking life was happening inside it. I’ve been looking for that scene ever since.

What sort of child were you?

My pre-school nickname was ‘Stamina’. I made things – my  dad was a printer and we always had inks and paper around. Anything was allowed so long as it involved physical endeavour. Once I decided they needed a new flowerbed in the middle of the lawn, so I dug them a hole. I loved exploring and wandering alone in the wrecked houses on old plots of land. I was the kind of child Katie Hopkins from The Apprentice would not allow her children to associate with.

When did you last feel really happy?

Yesterday. I went to the studio to rehearse, only I took the bus from the bottom of my road in Brighton. Life felt straightforward. I was going to work to do some singing and I was a part of the real world and I could see the sea. How brilliant is that?

How do you relax?

It is not how I relax, it is how to motivate myself. Relaxing comes easily; my job is punctuated by a lot of waiting so you learn to be still and patient. I can relax in a dentist’s waiting room. I read, watch rubbish telly and brilliant films. I walk the lanes and the seafront. I bathe till my fingers look like Nora Batty’s stockings.

What has been your biggest achievement?

Defying a life without prospects. I was attracted to the stage but wasn’t allowed to audition for school plays because people would say, ‘What would we want someone like you for?’ I dropped out of school and into jobs in which I also failed to shine. Changing that for my children is a source of great pleasure; they’ve accomplished so much more than me and have choices that I did not. 

And your biggest disappointment?

That I have not been able to undo the baggage I carry. Those close to me would say I think too much. I deconstruct everything and it’s exhausting. Not only am I floored by unkindnesses, but anything I’ve done that hurts someone else haunts me for years.

What are you best at and what would you like to be better at?

For someone without much education, I’m good with words but bad with admin. I’d like to be better in emergencies, too. My daughter was once howling with pain in the early hours. My husband took control... I fell over because the noise made me faint.

What is your best and worst characteristic?

I’m emotionally generous; I don’t withhold and I see beauty in everyone. My worst is self-loathing. I feel ridiculous and odd. My knowledge of current affairs is woeful and my memory is like a colander. 

What would your dream dinner date be?

Back at my parents’ table with my siblings, on a happy day, like Easter. The tablecloth came out, Dad bought lemonade, there was no shouting, Mum cooked and they were both well. Then the ice cream van stopped and we got a raspberry ripple block and it ended with Jason And The Argonauts on the telly.

Who are you closest to?

I’m closest in different ways to many people . . . but I am at my most naked with my husband.

What is your biggest fear?

Dementia. I have seen Alzheimer’s affect a number of people in my family and I’ve witnessed nothing more heartbreaking. 

What or who do you dream about?

As a child I had a recurring dream about being alone in a rose garden and a large male entity of carbon and soot was bearing down on me. I picked up a chair and threw it at him and his  arm fell off, but still he came. I laughed and told him I was dreaming and he couldn’t hurt me – and I always woke up.

Who do you most admire?

I love someone brave enough to moon at the fashion police. 

What is your most treasured possession?

I don’t care much about things. I don’t own anything I couldn’t bear to lose. But that said, I like my coffee-maker.

What is your favourite word and why?

‘Yes’ is brilliant unless it’s the answer to ‘Am I an a***hole?’

Describe the best night of your life

My son’s wedding: food, dancing, family and love. The sun shone all day and it was wonderful to catch up with my ex-husband and his beautiful wife, and together with my husband David it was a delight for us all to see our lad marry his darling girl.

Where would you like to live?

I recently moved after living in the same house for 30 years. It was soulless but somewhere I could hole up. Now, in Brighton life is proving to be pretty perfect and I want to live here.

What is your motto?

‘The sooner we get on, the sooner we get off.’